On this day: April 12

The American Civil War begins, FDR dies, a Soviet cosmonaut becomes the first human to travel into space, and the first space shuttle lifts off, all on this day.

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Gary Wayne Gilbert/Wikimedia Commons

1947: Author Tom Clancy, best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science novels, is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Four of his novels, "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger" and "The Sum of All Fears," have been turned into movies, with actors Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck portraying Clancy's most famous fictional character Jack Ryan. Clancy, seen here (far left) in 1989, died at age 66 on Oct. 1, 2013.

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